Standing Committees
Committees in the UTRGV School of Medicine inform education, research, governance, administration and other key activities within the medical school. Below is the list of all official committees within the UTRGV School of Medicine.
Accreditation Review and Continuous Quality Improvement Committee (ARCQI)
The Accreditation Review and Continuous Quality Improvement Committee (ARCQI) is responsible for regularly monitoring the accreditation standards of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) during the interval between accreditation visits for the purpose of continuous quality improvement of its medical education program. ARCQI shall assure that benchmarks and measurements selected for monitoring are appropriate and measurable and provide monitoring and oversight of any action plans. The Associate Dean for Assessment & Quality Improvement shall be a member of the committee with voting privilege. The Assistant Dean of Assessment, Evaluation and Quality, or applicable position, shall be an ex-officio member of the committee without voting privilege.
In addition, the ARCQI committee will address:
- Any existing or new elements where LCME expectations have evolved;
- Elements that include policies that must be congruent with current operations;
- Elements that directly or indirectly affect the core operations of the school; and
- Standards/elements that were cited in the SOM's previous LCME survey.
Andrew Dentino
Deepu George
John Thomas
Meena Jaggi
Naomi D'Acolatse
Robert Nelson
Sofia Hernandez
Stanley Fisch
Ex Officio Members
- Monica Alaniz-McGinnis, Assistant Dean for Assessment, Evaluation & Quality Improvements
Contact Information
Dr. SJ Sethi
Email: SJ.Sethi@utrgv.edu
Alan Ramirez (Admin. Support)
Email: Alan.Ramirez01@utrgv.edu
Admissions Committee
The Admissions Committee shall evaluate the credentials and qualifications of the student applicants and make the final selection of those applicants who are best suited for the study of medicine and in accordance with the educational goals articulated in the SOM mission statement. The committee will maintain independence and make decisions without influences external to the committee. The final authority for admissions decisions is the Admissions Committee. Decisions by the Admissions
Committee cannot be overruled or rejected.
Appointment: Members are appointed for terms of three years on a staggered schedule with one-third of the committee completing a term of service annually. Appointments are renewable. The Dean shall appoint or reappoint a Chair and Vice Chair annually.
Lizbeth Mellin (Vice Chair)
Alberto Allegre
Areeb Masood (student)
Barry Linger
Candace Robledo
Cesar Gutierrez
Cristel Escalona
Elissa Serapio
Harald Goring
Hugo Rodriguez
Lori Berry
Michelle Lopez
Pad Renga
Rebisi Owhonda (student)
Sabrina Orta (student)
Sotero Peralta
Timothy Heath
Vanessa Sanchez (student)
Wayne Wilson
Contact Information
Dr. Michael Mahaney (Chair)
Email: Michael.Mahaney@utrgv.edu
Thalia Martinez (Admin. Support)
Email: Thalia.Martinez@utrgv.edu
Central Curricular Authority Committee (CCAC)
- Define objectives that guide curricular content and provide the basis for program evaluations of effectiveness;
- Define types of patients, clinical conditions, levels of responsibility, and appropriate settings for student experiences;
- Assure that the curriculum incorporates opportunities for active learning, independent study, development of critical thinking and problem-solving, demonstration of ethical behaviors, and practice of communication skills;
- Assure assessment of student outcomes;
- Ensure comparable educational experiences across sites within a discipline;
- Ensure that student formative and summative assessments measure outcomes linked to defined curricular objectives and that students receive them in a timely manner;
- Access expertise in curricular design, pedagogy, assessment and evaluation methods;
- Utilize national norms of accomplishment as a frame of reference;
- Monitor content and workload in each discipline and identify gaps and redundancies;
- Evaluate both whole and component parts of the curriculum for achievement of medical education program objectives, revising curriculum continuously and with freedom from parochial, political or department pressures;
- Ensure logical sequencing of the various segments of the curriculum;
- Ensure content is coordinated and integrated within and across the academic periods of study (i.e., horizontal and vertical integration); and
- Establish graduation requirements for M.D. candidates
- Considers and approves all curriculum related policies.
Academic officers without teaching or research responsibilities may serve as ex officio members without voting privilege.
Committee Roster AY 2020-2021Amin Shah
Andrew Dentino
Dede Ceasar
Dustin Paul
Frank Gerold
Helene Krouse
Jose Campo
Kevin Orellana
Kristan Diaz-Rios
Lori Berry
Michael Dobbs
Pratip Mitra
Rachel Giese
Sara Reyna
Stanley Fisch
Subhash Chauhan
Timothy Loy
Vanessa Sanchez
Veronica Salazar
Wayne Wilson
Xioqian Fang
Ex Officio Members
- Kathleen Carter, Research and Education Librarian
- Monica Alaniz-McGinnis, Assistant Dean for Assessment, Evaluation & Quality Improvement
- SJ Sethi, Associate Dean for Assessment & Quality Improvement
- Sofia Hernandez, Chief Operating Officer
Contact Information
Dr. Naomi D’Acolatse (Chair)
Email: Naomi.DAcolatse@utrgv.edu
Maria Salinas (Program Specialist)
Email: Maria.Salinas12@utrgv.edu
Committee on Committees
The Committee on Committees (COC) shall advise the Dean concerning the membership criteria,number of members, length of membership terms and charge of the standing committees and shall make annual recommendations on the membership of those committees. The COC will annually identify qualified, interested members of the UTRGV SOM faculty to propose for membership on standing committees of the SOM. It may also be called upon to propose members for ad hoc committees, task forces, or other groups at the request of the Dean. In addition, the COC is responsible for periodically reviewing existing committees so that appropriate recommendations can be made to the Dean with regard to changes, additions, or deletions affecting the role, scope, and structure of those committees. COC members are appointed annually by the Dean to ensure appropriate turnover of committee membership.
The committee is responsible for sending out an annual call for standing committee nominations (including self-nomination) to the Assembly membership, in addition to identifying potential committee nominees and encouraging their participation. The annual call should include a list of all standing committees with the charge for each; a statement indicating that an expression of interest does not guarantee election; and an opportunity for respondents to rank committees by level of interest.
The COC will review all submitted nominees and forward nominees to the Dean. Every effort will be made by the COC to provide the Dean with twice the number of approved nominees as needed. However, if a sufficient number of nominees are not available, the Dean may directly request that a Department Chair nominate a faculty member to participate on a committee. Final appointments will be made by the Dean from the list of nominees no later than June 30th.
Adrian Sandoval
Andrew Dentino
Cristel Escalona
Eugenia Curet
Subhash Chauhan
Contact Information
Dr. Sarah Williams-Blangero (Chair)
Email: Sarah.Williams-Blangero@utrgv.edu
Diversity Committee
The Diversity Committee shall have the responsibility to advise and assist the Chief Diversity Officer in developing, updating and supporting policies and programs that advance diversity and inclusion related to the SOM faculty, staff, students and other trainees, and in particular, with regard to recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion. The Diversity Committee will be responsible for interacting with and having representation on all other standing committees. The Chief Diversity Officer serves as Chair of the Diversity Committee, with voting privileges.
Committee Roster AY 2020-2021Adaadinchezo Oguejiofor (student rep)
Adela Valdez
Alessandra Jimenez (student rep)
Delisa Guadarrama
Dustin Paul
Eugenia Curet
Maria Villegas
Melinda Wilding
Michelle Varon
Satish Kumar
Resident - Vacant
Resident - Vacant
Contact Information
Sofia Hernandez (Chair)
Email: Sofia.Hernandez@utrgv.edu
Esmeralda Lozano (Admin. Support)
Email: Esmeralda.Lozano@utrgv.edu
Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC)
The Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), in collaboration with the Designated Institutional Official (DIO), is responsible for all ACGME-accredited programs of the SOM. The GMEC has responsibility for establishing and implementing policies, monitoring and advising on all aspects of residency and fellowship education in sponsored GME programs, and adjudicating matters of deliberation. This responsibility includes ensuring the quality of education and the work and learning environment for all residents in all programs and ensuring compliance with ACGME policies. The committee shall oversee the performance of appropriate evaluations of each training program to assess compliance with both the institutional requirements and relevant program requirements of the ACGME. The committee shall serve as a forum for discussion of GME issues, to include not only clinical environments but also resident quality of life, recruitment, and outcomes. The DIO serves as a voting ex officio member of the committee and the chair of GMEC.
Committee Roster AY 2020-2021Aileen Aguilar
Alexis Normendez
Amy Stout
Ana Almeda
Andrew Dentino
Asif Zamir
Brandon Cantazaro
Carlos Ramos
Chelsea Chang
Daniel Varela
Delisa Guadarrama
Elissa Serapio
Gaudencio Olgin
Gerardo Munoz-Monaco
Grigoriy Rapoport
Heidi Pareja Fernandez
Henry Reinhart
Henry Weisman
Jennifer Ortega
Jennifer Salcedo
Jessica Cunningham
Jessica Martin
Jesus Garza
Jimmy Gonzales
John Paredes
Jose Almeda
Julio Gonzalez
Kristan Diaz-Rios
Laura Garcia
Lawrence Harkless
Michael Dobbs
Michael Martinez
Michael Sander
Miguel Tello
Mourad Alsabbagh
Nina Barrientos
Rafael Otero
Rick Martinez
Samantha Castillo
Samuel Saunders
Sonia Padilla
Sunand Kallumadanda
Theresa Rodriguez
Timothy Heath
VACANT
Veronica Salazar
Xavier Blanco
Yamil Aude
Contact Information
Dr. Nausheen Jamal (Chair)
Email: Nausheen.Jamal@utrgv.edu
Nina Barrientos (Support staff)
Email: Nina.Barrientos@utrgv.edu
Medical Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee (MSEPC)
The Medical Student Evaluation and Promotion Committee (MSEPC) is charged with the review of the academic progress and professional development of each student during all components of the four-year medical education program. The Committee has primary responsibility for recommending for graduation only those candidates who have satisfactorily completed all graduation requirements and demonstrated the professional conduct appropriate for a physician. The committee, acting under the authority delegated to it by the Dean, shall be responsible for decisions on leaves of absence, promotion and/or remediation of medical students. Students may appeal any decisions set forth by the MSEPC to the SOM Dean whose decision is final. Module and clerkship directors are not eligible for membership.
Committee Roster AY 2020-2021Cristel Escalona
Emranul Huq
Frank Gerold
Gladys Maestre
Jennifer Ortega
Manish Tripathi
Contact Information
Dr. Joanne Curran (Chair)
Email: Joanne.Curran@utrgv.edu
Optimal Learning Environment Committee (OLEC)
The Optimal Learning Environment Committee (OLEC) will help to foster a positive and professional learning environment by sponsoring initiatives, outreach and educational programming aimed at enhancing communication and professionalism in all learning environments. The OLEC is charged with:
- Promoting a learning environment that best supports student and resident education;
- Raising awareness about what constitutes mistreatment and unprofessional behavior through working with appropriate offices to develop educational activities for medical students, residents, and faculty;
- Reviewing the results of student and resident evaluations of courses, clerkships, and rotations related to the learning environment;
- Reviewing surveys of students, residents, and other groups to ascertain further information regarding positive and negative influences in this arena;
- Monitoring influences (positive and negative) throughout the learning environment; and
- Informing policies action plans and reviewing ongoing data on the learning environment.
All SOM deans and faculty are responsible for reporting information to the OLEC Chair that have been brought to them regarding concerns about the learning environment and unprofessional behavior with personal identifiers redacted. Based on these sources of information the OLEC will make recommendations regarding the need for interventions (e.g., faculty and staff education and development) to address issues that are leading to a sub-optimal learning environment.
Committee Roster AY 2020-2021Alexa Perlick (student)
Cristel Escalona
Elissa Serapio
Keila Rodriguez
Lord Mvoula (student)
Michael Lapelusa (student)
Paul Renaud
Salina Coleman
Xioqian Fang
Contact Information
Dr. Herbert Nassour (Chair)
Email: Herbert.Nassour@utrgv.edu
Ms. Veronica De Hoyos (Admin. Support)
Email: Veronica.Dehoyos@utrgv.edu
Promotion, Tenure and Appointment Committee (PTAC)
The Promotion Tenure and Appointment Committee (PTAC) is responsible for the oversight of all appointments of faculty members hired by the SOM, for establishing, maintaining and implementing the criteria for promotion within the tracks and ranks of faculty, and for recommending promotion, as well as the conferral of tenure to deserving faculty members. All such recommendations of the PTAC go to the Dean. Recommendations for policy changes related to Appointment, Promotions, and Tenure go to the Dean's Advisory Committee. Ex officio non-voting representatives to the PTAC are the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and the Associate Dean for Diversity.
The PTAC will have nine (9) General Faculty members, of which seven (7) will be voting and two (2) nonvoting. Voting faculty will include two (2) tenured full Professors; three (3) nontenured full Professors; one (1) tenured Associate Professor; and one (1) nontenured Associate Professor. All seven (7) members will vote on nontenured faculty promotion; only the three (3) tenured faculty will vote on promotion and tenure for tenure-eligible faculty. Non-voting faculty will include two (2) Assistant Professors. Non-voting members may not, make a motion, or second a motion. In consideration of promotion to Professor, Associate Professors may participate in discussions but not vote. Individuals who have served two consecutive terms must, stand down for at least (1) year before serving another term. Any department chair holding a position on the PTAC must recuse themselves from a vote on faculty applying for appointment, promotion or tenure within their department.
The Dean shall appoint five (5) members: two (2) full Professors, one (1) Associate Professor and two (2) Assistant Professors. The Faculty Assembly shall elect four (4) members: three (3) full Professors and one (l) Associate Professor. The Chair is elected by the membership of the committee and serves for one (1) year; the Chair may be elected to a maximum of two consecutive one-year terms.
Deepu George (Vice Chair)
Brandon Cantazaro
Jimmy Gonzales
Marsha Griffin
Muralli Yallapu
Pad Renga
Tom Howard
Ex Officio Members
- Adela Valdez, Associate Dean for Diversity Adela.Valdez@utrgv.edu
- Andrew Dentino, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Andrew.Dentino@utrgv.edu
- Robert Nelson, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Robert.Nelson@utrgv.edu
Contact Information
Dr. Tony Ogburn (Chair)
Email: Tony.Ogburn@utrgv.edu
Elizabeth Reyes (Program Manager)
Email: Elizabeth.Reyes@utrgv.edu
Contact
Dean's Office
UTRGV School of Medicine
Email: AskUTRGVsom@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 296-1900
